Nutritional Value Of Carrot Teacake

Although recipes vary, a basic carrot teacake includes only about eight or nine ingredients. For a cake that serves about 10 people, use 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp. cinnamon, 2 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 cup corn or vegetable oil, 2 cups sugar, 4 large eggs, 2 cups grated carrots and an optional 1/4 cup confectioners sugar for sprinkling over the top.

Calories

Each serving of carrot teacake contains about 343 calories. In the entire cake, which serves 10, there are 3,426 calories. All-purpose flour contributes 910 calories, corn oil adds another 495 calories and there are 1,548 calories in the granulated sugar. Another 286 calories come from the eggs, 90 calories from the carrots and 97 calories from the confectioner's sugar.

Carbohydrates

The bulk of the carbohydrate content in carrot teacake comes from the “empty” sugar carbohydrates. In fact, the combination of granulated sugar and confectioners sugar contributes 425 of the 638 grams of carbohydrates in the cake. Flour adds another 191 grams, while the carrots and eggs add 21 grams and 1.4 grams, respectively. Each serving of carrot teacake contains about 63.8 grams of carbohydrates. Each serving also provides 1.3 grams of fiber, about half of which comes from the grated carrots and half from the flour.

Fiber

Each serving of carrot tea cake contains about 5.3 grams of fiber. Of the 52.9 grams in the entire cake, 25.8 grams come from flour, 25.1 grams come from the eggs, and the final 2 grams come from the carrots.

Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol

One carrot teacake contains 78 grams of total fat, 11.3 grams of saturated fat, and 744 milligrams of cholesterol. Each serving has 7.8 grams of total fat, 1.1 grams of saturated fat and about 74 milligrams of cholesterol. All-purpose flour contributes 2.5 grams of total fat and 0.4 grams of saturated fat. The corn oil provides 56 grams of total fat and 4.5 grams of saturated fat. The eggs add another 19 grams of total fat, 6.3 grams of saturated fat and all 744 milligrams of cholesterol. Grated carrots provide another 0.5 grams of fat and 0.08 grams of saturated fat.

Making It Healthier

Several of the ingredients in carrot teacake can be altered without significantly changing the flavor and texture. To eliminate the cholesterol and reduce the saturated fat content of the cake, substitute 3/4 cup buttermilk for the 4 large eggs. Buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to raise the cake without the eggs. To further reduce the total fat content, replace all or part of the oil with applesauce. One-quarter cup of applesauce contains 26 calories and zero grams of fat, as opposed to the 495 calories and 56 grams of fat in 1/4 cup of corn oil. To increase your intake of whole grains and fiber, substitute up to one-half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour or all of the all-purpose flour with white whole wheat flour.